Chapter 2
Leith and I failed to exchange numbers, a thing I regretted when I got stuck on the phone with Mrs. Falchuk and was almost an hour later than I’d said I would be. She was our Fairville client, the one we’d just finished today, and she was unhappy with something. She was always unhappy with something, I’d learned. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’d had to show her proof of a decision she’d made or a change she’d approved. It looked like I’d have to make a trip over there again tomorrow, to once again prove we’d completed her kitchen reno exactly to her specifications.
It was nearly five by the time I made it to Leith’s. The outside of the house didn’t look any better than the last time I’d driven by, and the porch still sagged, but the front door was now a deep blue and it looked really nice. I approved of the change and it gave the place a brighter feel. At the same time, it sort of highlighted the peeling paint and the sad porch, but those were things that could be fixed.
I hopped out of my truck and headed to the front door, taking in my surroundings as I walked. The front yard wasn’t big—this section of town had small front yards and bigger lawns in the back—but the winding pavers made a nice walkway. Leith, or someone, had done some landscaping work, using plants I didn’t know the names of to create an aesthetically pleasing sight. At the same time, it made the house look a little shabbier. But it hinted at the potential of what the house could be.
The steps creaked, and so did the boards on the porch, but I tried not to wince and rang the bell. If I could convince Leith to let me fix it, then all the better. I waited patiently for Leith to answer the door, knowing it could take him a minute. It was indeed about ninety seconds later I heard the clack of his crutches. Apparently, he had hardwood floors.
His smile when he pulled open the door made my heart skip a beat, but I ignored that. “Sorry I’m late. I got stuck on a work call.”
“Not at all. I’m on your time. Please, come in.” Leith maneuvered backward and I followed him over the threshold. “Watch out for Franziska.”
“Fran…ziska?” I froze, then glanced around, expecting a pet or child.
“My Epipremnum aureum Marble Queen.”
I blinked at him. “I don’t know what that means.”
His chuckle was warm. He motioned with his chin over my shoulder and I slowly turned to find…a plant. A huge one. The leaves were a mix of green with white splashes, and white with the barest hint of green. It had vines trailing down to the floor and others crawling up a trellis and…. I squinted. Yep. Those vines were growing on the walls.
“It’s, uh, big.”
That chuckle again. If I wasn’t careful, that sound would make me shiver. It was a really good sound, and I’d always been a sucker for good laughs. There was something about it that just did it for me. Pushing that thought out of my mind, I brought my brain back online and focused on what he was saying.
“…had her for ten years. She loves the light in the south facing windows, so she’s thrived here. I’m even propagating some cuttings for Kyle. He doesn’t have this varietal.”
Ah. That made sense. Kyle could make a friend out of anybody, but it happened even faster when someone shared his interests. Kyle was a self-professed plant dad and I knew he had a lot of greenery. His collection had only grown when he moved in with Xavier a few months ago after Xavier had convinced his sister to sell her vacation house to him.
“Well, I know he’ll like that.” I gestured to my work boots. “Want me to take these off?”
Leith waved that away. “The floors are lavable. I’ve been needing to keep shoes on or else I wamble.”
Lavable I could figure out but, “Wamble?”
Leith smiled, but I didn’t miss the hint of pink that stained his cheeks as he averted his eyes. “Walk unsteadily. Apologies. I have a tendency to use words that, perhaps, have fallen out of use. I find It humorous.”
What I found humorous was his formal way of speaking. But in an adorable way. He hadn’t been quite this stiff before at the diner, and I had to wonder if he was nervous. We needed to fix that. There was no need for nerves.
“Why don’t you show me what all needs to get done, and we can make a plan. We have a fortnight, right?” I winked to show I was joking and Leith let out a sigh as his shoulders relaxed.
“Right you are. Keith and his children will be here on the third, to celebrate the holiday weekend here with me.”
“That’ll be fun.” Then what he said really registered and I narrowed my eyes. “Wait a minute.”
Leith groaned.
I had to laugh. “You’re telling me your parents named you Leith and Keith?”
“It gets worse,” he said, sounding pained. “We have a younger brother. Would you care to guess his name?”
It took me a minute. Maybe a minute and a half. Then a name filtered into my brain and I tentatively suggested, “Heath?”
“Right in one. Trust me, we’ve heard all the jokes. It was a terrible decision on their part.” Leith shook his head and sighed. “Keith made sure his children have names that aren’t remotely similar. Heath has vowed to do the same, should he ever procreate.”
“And you?” I asked before I could think better of it. Damn. It was far too personal a question for a man I’d just met. I opened my mouth to take it back, but Leith was already answering.
“I have about three hundred children in any given year, and that’s more than enough for me.” A light entered his amazing eyes, and they crinkled at the corners. “I like giving children back to their parents.”
I laughed, feeling it all the way down to my toes. I shook my head. “Me, too. Hey, if you work at the elementary school, you must know my boss’s husband. Emmett Valenti?”
Leith started moving, the clomp of the rubber tips of his crutches a strange noise on the hardwood. I followed along.
“I do. Emmett is wonderful. He’s instrumental in setting up displays highlighting different types of world music in the media center. The books he chooses always have a high circulation rate.”
We made it to the stairs, eight in total, and Leith started the process of climbing them, one step at a time. I tried not to hover, but I stuck close. I didn’t want him to fall. “Heh. Good pun.”
“What?” Leith turned and wobbled, but I was right there to put a steadying hand on his back. He made a noise, sounding a bit flustered, and his cheeks colored again. After a second, he cleared his throat. “Oh. The pun was unintentional, I assure you.”
I chuckled. “Even better. You good?”
“Uh, yes. Thank you.” Leith resumed his trek, but I noticed he gripped the railing just a little tighter. Two minutes later, we’d made it to the top and into the small hallway. There were three doors off the hall, two small bedrooms and a tiny bathroom. He gestured to the room on the right. “Here first.”
I proceeded him into the room. There were several boxes stacked along the back wall, but the rest of the room was empty. It didn’t take me but a second to see what he was talking about. The drywall along the front wall was cracked and peeling, obviously warped and ruined by water damage. I stepped closer to inspect it, noticing that not only was the window casement ill fitting, which caused rain to get in, but it went further than that. My gaze tracked up and I hummed.
“Roof leak?”
“Yes. Fortunately it was just in this spot, and I had it repaired immediately. The wall itself is sound, or so I’m told. But the drywall is clearly in need of replacing.”
I nodded, peering a little closer. I wouldn’t be surprised if a stud or two needed to be replaced once I got in there, but given the state of things, the assessment was probably accurate. “Who fixed the roof?”
“Noemi and Jones.”
I blew out a breath, relieved. Most of the roofing companies I knew about in the area were good, but Noemi and Jones were the best. He’d made a good choice in hiring them. I could count on their work, and their assessment of the damage. That was good. I turned to face Leith.
“What else?”
The bathroom was fine, if outdated. Except for the vanity, as he’d said before. It was a particle board piece of crap that had seen better days. Probably when it had been installed sometime in the 80s. It, too, had water damage and several large chunks of the laminate were missing. The ceramic sink was cracked, too. Better just to rip the whole thing out and put in a new one.
“I already bought the vanity, sink, and fixtures. They’re in the garage.”
I nodded and whipped out my phone to start taking notes. When I’d finished, Leith led me back downstairs—it was all I could do not to scoop him up and carry him, just to make it easier—and to the living room. One wall was painted a soft sage green, but the other three were dingy white. Clearly he’d begun the work before his injury. The kitchen sink was leaking steadily, a constant drip, and that could be as simple as replacing the seals or as complicated as putting in a whole new faucet. Not that that was hard, but it was more involved. When I opened the cupboard to peer underneath, I saw that the bottom was completely warped and damaged, and that the caulk was peeling as well. I made more notes, as those things would need to be fixed as well.
“Is that it?” I asked, already mentally prioritizing things.
“Those are the pressing matters.”
I nodded absently. “And the porch.”
“Oh no. That’s too much.” Leith sounded shocked. I lifted my gaze to see his wide eyes. “I’ll have that repaired in the future. It’s not perilous yet.”
I squinted. “Yet being the operative word. You have me now, let me fix it.”
Leith cleared his throat. “Well, it’s the only way in and out of the house at the moment. The back steps, uh, collapsed?”
I didn’t know why it was a question, and I held in the sigh. “Show me.”
Leith gestured to the door I hadn’t noticed at the back of the kitchen. I crossed the floor in long strides, unlocked it, and then had to wrench it open. Old houses like this tended to settle and sometimes doorways were no longer plumb. I examined the door for a second, seeing the wear at the top corner. A few passes with a plane would fix that. Then I peered out and saw a pile of rotted wood five feet down. I stared for a good thirty seconds, then forced the door closed again.
I tapped at my phone, expanding the note more, then turned the screen to Leith. “Is this everything?”
His eyes went wide. “Jay, no. That’s too much. Really, only the things I showed you need immediate attention and I—”
“Hey.” I took a step into his space, not too close, but enough so that he had to look up at me. He was a few inches shorter than my six feet. Perfect height, really, because all I would have to do is dip down and…no. I cleared my throat. “This is what I do. I fix things. I promise, all of this is more than doable in two weeks, even in my limited time. If you’re worried about cost, don’t be. I’m good at finding deals for materials, and you’re paying me for my time in food.”
“I’m not, it’s not…” He blew out a breath, and when he adjusted his crutches, I was the one who stepped back to give him a bit of room to breathe. It was easier for me to move than for him. He shot me a small smile. “Cost isn’t exactly a concern. But I worry that I’m taking advantage.”
“You aren’t. I promise.” I put a little more space between us, sensing he needed that, and leaned my ass against the counter. I scratched my cheek. “Really, I expected a lot worse, considering this house has sat empty for so long. It’s got good bones.”
Leith nodded rapidly. “It’s the reason I fell in love with it. I’ve lived here for about six months, and I’ve done a lot of projects myself. Other than the rewiring, which of course I had an electrician do, and plumbing in the main bedroom’s bathroom, because I figured it was better to have a professional handle that as well.” He offered me a smile that was more real and genuine. “If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
“Well, then. I’m delighted to accept your offer. Please tell me what you like to eat, so I can make all your favorites.”
I shrugged. “I’m easy. Just about anything goes. Except eggplant. I respect it, but I do not like it.”
He laughed, apparently tickled by my answer. “All right then. And I suppose I should thank Kyle as well, for his meddling. He’s been lusting after my monstera Thai constellation. Perhaps I have to chop and prop and give him a cutting.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but since it was a plant thing, I knew Kyle would like it. And I supposed, from Leith’s point of view, he deserved a reward for putting us in each other’s path. I wasn’t so sure, but that was between them.
“Good.” I smirked and pushed off the counter. I gestured to my left. “Let me get under the sink and see what’s going on. If it’s an easy fix, I can get that done right now. I’ll replace the cabinet floor another day.”
Leith opened his mouth, but I shot him a look and he bit his lip instead. The mirth in his eyes warmed my insides. He was already learning that I would do what I needed to, and nothing was against my will. If I said I would, then I did.
“Good boy.”
The praise slipped out without thought, but the sharp inhalation and the look in his eyes made me think he didn’t mind. Which was a problem for me, because I couldn’t assume and I shouldn’t push. Deciding ignoring that was the best course of action, I got to work.